Elderly neighbours to be forced to share bathrooms? (Cambridge Liberal Democrats)

Cambridge Liberal Democrats <camlibdems@gmail.com>

Elderly neighbours to be forced to share bathrooms?

April 21, 2006 9:00 PM

Cambridge Lib Dems today expressed their shock at a Labour plan to force elderly neighbours to continue to share bathrooms.

Councillor Bradnack introduced a motion to the City Council last night which would prevent the vital modernisation scheme for Sheltered Housing proposed by Liberal Democrats that will replace bed-sits with self-contained flats with separate bathroom facilities. The Motion was amended by Coun Catherine Smart.

Coun Catherine Smart, Executive City Councillor for Housing and Health, commented:

"If this motion is passed, elderly residents in sheltered housing schemes will be forced to share bathrooms with long corridors of their neighbours.

"Elderly people want to be able to live in decent accommodation and so we need to replace the old bed-sits. They're very unpopular with those considering Sheltered Housing whereas schemes which have already been modernised are heavily oversubscribed.

"We have listened to what older people want, which is why we're working to help support many older people to live independently in their own homes and is why we're beginning this scheme to bring sheltered housing up to a decent standard that people will want to move in to.

"In order to pay for this, we have to meet the criteria of the Supporting Peoples Fund which funds sheltered housing. Following a

County-wide review last year, Supporting People will no longer fund the excess places in Cambridge and so we are forced to cut 50 places. Tiverton House was chosen because of its proximity to other schemes means that its residents will be able to remain in the area they have chosen to live. All Council tenants will be able to remain tenants of the Council if they so wish throughout this programme of modernisation."